(082) The Darkness Below

What is interesting is that we now essentially have a company of six fighters

Oh wow. Didn't really notice that. I guess our mediums couldn't hack it.

We need more casters!

Zem whispers "Carefully now, whoever hid this passage may have left other defenses in place also". Zem keeps an out out for trip wires and unusual patterns on the floor.

Freid frowns as his count comes up 1 short.

He mutters to himself, "Where did that little bugger go now?" Then says to Karl, "Pass it up the line, to hold on while I find Zax. The little bugger has run off on us again."

Stepping back to the door Freid looks both ways and spies Zax sitting on the floor, "We've found a secret passage and they're already starting down it. Come on or you'll be left behind! Miss all the action!"

Freid isn't gonna wait around for long. If Zax doesn't hear, or isn't there, he'll get left as Freid goes back and forms up at the back of the line, telling Karl.... "Let's go!"

Zax reaches the end of his musings, and with a small puff of epiphany, his mind is suddenly clear. The path laid before him resolves into a simple passage of gnomish logic: no treasure -> need to get treasure -> who has treasure? -> bad guys - - - - -> need to bash more bad guys to get the treasure.

He climbs to his feet and dusts himself off, sets his weapons and turns back for the room. One of the long-legs is standing there blathering something about being left behind, perhaps he is scared. He pushes past him and back into the room to see the others have managed to get themselves back into mobile condition - amazing.

"You lot had yor little kip then av ya?" he says, spying the new portal and heading for it, "well come on then"

who's impetuous?

Freid signals Zax to come back then, without waiting long, hurries after the others who are already vanishing into the secret tunnel, leaving the gnome to huff along behind.

Meanwhile, upfront, Zem recommends a cautious step as he eyes the ground and walls suspiciously...

So we have this marching order:

Leudigar
--5ft
Zem
--5ft
Akbar
--5ft
Karl
--20ft
Freid
--20ft
Zax

Leudigar moves cautiously down the narrow passage, sword and dagger in hand. 10ft, 15ft, 20ft he goes, with the others creaking and shuffling quietly along behind him. As the open arch before him draws nearer, (20ft, 15ft...) he notes the orange glow in the chamber beyond dances unsteadily with shadows upon the wall opposite... hinting at a naked torch or similar illumination. All is deathly quiet beyond, perhaps un-natrually so? He also becomes aware of an unpleasant odour on the air; something vaguely similar to the hydra-stink, but not so broad and base. A more pointed and no less upsetting wiff...

Leudigar waits a second to see if no one else wants to take the lead. If nobody steps up, then he quietly pushes forward.

Abruptly, Leudigar senses a figure partially obscuring the narrow arch into the chamber beyond, scarcely 10ft ahead!

He holds his breath a moment before realising the figure is too still to be alive; it must be a statue. In fact, it's not even a statue, but only the reflected image of a statue! What he had presumed to be a portal into the chamber beyond proves to be a tall mirror, angled to permit a view around a 90 degree corner. Barely 10ft beyond to his right of the mirror is the real entry, partially obscured behind the statue; a mythological Argonaut poised to cast a javelin.

Beyond the statue it is clear to Leudigar that a large, dimly lit chamber awaits further scrutiny...

Leudigar examines the statue to see how lifelike it is. Does it have the appearance of being carved? Or is it entirely too lifelike?

Leudigar moves around the corner, just inside the cusp of the archway where he can get a close look at the statue... which is soundly blocking the entry. A ranger is no stonemason, but it does look to be a pretty decent likeness. Judging from the chips, cracks, and lichen on it, it's been about a while. Most interestingly, however, Leudigar notes there appears to be a chain about its neck... although with its back to the passage, it's hard to see much more than the back of its neck.